


Picture of Ease

by EmpressTod



Category: Persona 5
Genre: AU, AU where the protagonist is a girl, Everything is Fine AU, F/F, Fluff, Genderbent Protagonist, Girlfriends - Freeform, Happy, I An In Persona Hell, Metaverse, Peaceful, Vignettes, friendships, future action scenes, my ship is a rowboat, non linear, oneshots, persona - Freeform, persona 5 but gayer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-11-21 12:11:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11357247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmpressTod/pseuds/EmpressTod
Summary: When Student-Council President Makoto Nijima gets together with the infamous transfer student, Vivian Satori, school becomes nothing but rumour and torment. The only place they can get one moment of peace is with each other, and their friends.***Literally just a series of fluffy, cute, kinda angsty oneshots about Makoto and the Persona 5 protag (Her name is Vivian in this). No linear story. Just ship.





	1. Little Attic

**Author's Note:**

> I have this image... of Persona... but gayer... 
> 
> Literally the only thing that would have made this awesome as shit game better is if you could play as a girl. So instead of being angry about it, I'm being productive and writing. Hopefully it will make me feel better.

"Did you hear? Nijima-san and the transfer student?"

"No way! But she's a thug!"

"I saw it for myself. No lie!"

Vivian pursed her lips in irritation. Everyone around here always seemed to be talking-bunch of gossips, the whole city. First the rumours about her record, now this?

When Makoto heard, she'd flip. 

Finally finishing gathering her stuff, Vivian skirted around her desk (Ignoring the now hushed girls as she walked past them) and left the classroom. 

Checking her phone as she wandered towards the stairs, she waved at Ryuji on her way past.

**V: _Usual place?_**

**M: _I'll see you there!_**

"Why is she smirking like-

"She looks so scary when she does that-"

Biting her tongue to stop herself from snapping at the vapid first-years, Vivian wondered out of the school and headed home.

Though busy, Yongen was beautiful this time of year. The hot weather had passed mostly, and the sun hung low on the city skyline. A promise of a chill on the air whispering of the cold nights to come.

Hesitating on her way to the cafe, Makoto spied a pile of flowers displayed in the Recyled-Goods store. Smiling to herself, she started towards the store and ran her eyes over the aray of different varieties they had. Wondering which ones Vivian would like best.

"You're home early." Sojiro looked away from the TV at the sound of the bell. Looking at her suspiciously.

Vivian rubbed her eyes, "Really? It was a long day- feels later than it is."

He nodded, narrow set of his eyes fading, "Dinner?"

She shook her head, whisps and clumps of hair shifting out of her braid with it, "I stopped and got some take-out on the way home." She lifted a paper-bag, starting towards the stairs.

"There's a lot there for just you." 

"That's 'cause it's not just for me." Vivian grinned, looking not at Sojiro but at the door as it dinged open again, "Hey Makoto." 

Makoto looked up, busy adjusting her bag and the huge bundle of flowers in her arms, and smiled broadly at the pair of them. "Hello!"

Vivian dumped her stuff in a booth and went over to help. "They're nice," She nodded at the flowers as Makoto offered her her bag.

"They're for you- to brighten up that room of yours." She seemed sheepish now, "They were all beautiful, so I got a few of each type."

"Aw thank you!" 

The two girls grinned at each other, suddenly both feeling right at home again after a long day apart.

Sojiro shook his head as they disappeared up the stairs, hearing the door to the attic close, he wondered why he'd never considered instituting a rule about girls up in his charge's room.

The pair ate with the TV playing softly in the background. On the couch, the two of them somehow angled slightly towards eachother, long legs and fingers brushing over them often in a gesture of silent comfort and reassurance.

Turns out Vivian had no need to tell Makoto about the rumours. She'd heard herself. 

"Are they rumours if they're true?"

"I guess..." But Vivian still tilted her head towards her friend, "You're not worried are you?"

And it was with a kind of confidence that Vivian envied, but loved anyway, that Makoto grasped her hand, meeting her eyes sincerely as their fingers twined together. "Not at all."

In their little place, carved out of the rest of the world, nothing could reach or worry them. 

The flowers displayed proudly in a vase right next to the door, colours clashing and arranged poorly but still beautiful. A gesture from the heart, from a girl to the one she loved.

And they spent the evening just ignoring what else had happened, laughing and talking. Treasuring the company, and the promise of adventures to come.

 

 


	2. Study Session

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> studying in the cafe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'll take prompts if you want me to btw go right ahead

" _Mmmg shrrdnn._ " Vivian grumbled into the table to the sound of Makoto laughing at her.

"What was that?" She grinned down at Vivian, who had her head face down on the table on her arms, "I couldn't hear you."

Vivian slowly lifted her head, playfully glaring at her girlfriend, "I hate studying."

"Come on," Makoto reached over the table, trying to lift up Vivian's arm. "Exams are next week- we can do this!"

" _You_ can- I am admitting defeat." When Makoto didn't stop tugging on her elbow, she sat up with a sad smile.

"No! I believe in you..."

Vivian's grin widened when she spied that familiar glint in Makoto's eye. She absolutely adored that problem-solving, analytical side of her that always came out when there was something they needed to overcome.

And Vivian's study habits were definitely an obstacle when exams came up.

Usually she was just content with her routine of letting it all pile up and then sitting down the day before and not moving for 15 straight hours until every scrap of information was crammed into her head. But ever since she started dating Miss Honour-Student she'd tried really hard to keep up with her, it's not that she was stupid, far from it, it's just a laziness on her part to do any school work.

Makoto tapped her chin, looking over at the pages of work still to do. "I find it easier to work when I..." Trailing off in thought, she looked over the pages of problems.

Vivian looked across the table, her eyebrows raised, "I'm all ears."

"Alright." Makoto's gaze steeled over with determination, "If you do these problems correctly, you'll get a reward."

"A reward?"

"Yes!" She announced triumphantly, "I find that an incentive helps anyone work more efficently

"Hmm... what's the reward?" Upon considering it, Vivian began to sit up noticeably straighter.

"It's a suprise."

"I'm intrigued now- okay. This page?" At her nod, she grabbed her pencil again and began to work.

The cafe was quiet this time of evening, Sojiro had left a while ago but the scent of coffee beans and the delicious aroma of curry lingered. She found it far easier to concentrate when it was raining, but the comforting sound of Makoto's steady breathing, and the scraching of her pen against paper was more than enough to help her focus on the problems in front of her.

"I'm done!" She announced immediately after she ticked off the last problem, "I even checked if the answers were right!"

Makoto glanced over them, even reading upside down she could tell they were correct. Nodding to herself, she stood up and skirted around the table, standing in front of Vivian, who was still sitting.

"Now," She clasped her hands in front of her, smiling proudly, "Your prize."

"If it's more coffee, I've had more than enough already- _mff!_ "

Partway through her sentence, Vivian was interrupted by Makoto diving forward suddenly, bracing her hands on the table and the seat to her left and pressing her lips to hers.

Warmth and electricity buzzed through her nerves at the unexpected kiss, but Vivian leaned into it anyway. Supressing the urge to pull away just to grin at her, she reached upwards, her hands tangling in the other girls soft, short hair.

Their lips brushed over each other, again and again, until eventually they had to pull away for air.

In the dim light of the cafe, the two girls grinned conspiratorially at each other. As if they'd shared some special, guarded secret. Each appearing thoroughly kissed, hair unkempt and lips delightfully swollen.

Makoto was still a little bit dazed when she slipped back into her seat across from her, and Vivian blinked in amused shock, "So... do I get the same prize for every page?"


	3. Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> makoto and her movie tastes

**M** : So this new movie came out, and I believe you'll enjoy it.

 **V** : I'm game.

 **M** : Great! Come over after school, I have everything prepared.

 **V** : See you then!

Vivian tutted under her breath as she snuck her phone back into her skirt pocket. Makoto the perfect student texting in class? Was she a bad influence?

Nah.

After school Vivian headed straight to the station, knowing the exact route to get to Makoto's house. She had it down pat by now.

The trains stunk of sweat and mucky rain-water, it was almost a good thing they were so cramped, that meant that at least Vivian didn't have to suffer through the smell by herself.

She was almost used to the smell by the time she got off at the station. Having to wash her face and thanking the Metaverse for the cool breeze, she set off in the direction of Makoto's building.

Later that night, they'd eaten their Ramen and had a whole multitude of snacks laid out in front of them. Vivian was sprawled out on the couch, she loved taking up as much room as she could, while Makoto was leaning forward. Completely engrossed in the film.

"I don't care who you are, I will find you. And-"

"Ooo, intense." Vivian exclaimed around a mouthful of chips.

Makoto nodded aggressively, "They better get those good-for-nothing kidnappers!"

They both sat in tenterhooks for the rest of the movie. Makoto so into it she ended up jumping from her seat when the main guy found his daughter again. But then there was a plot twist she hadn't been expecting and-

"You're kidding me right!?" She yelled, running around the table to shout at the credit screen, "Why did they end it there?! Did he die or didn't he?!"

Vivian grinned, "We'll find out next movie I guess."

"That was such a good movie!" Makoto yelled again, stretching as she turned around.

"A gusty choice, I'll give you that."

Makoto paused mid-stretch, arms half way down, "You... you think it's weird I like these movies don't you?"

Vivian instantly shook her head, standing up at the same time as Makoto lowered her arms, "No way. I love how into it you get- it's cute."

"C-cute?!" Deep pinkness flooded Makoto's cheeks at the line, and she turned her head away thinking to hide the blush from her, but she could still see anyway.

"Definitely."

There was a calm silence between them now. Standing up in the middle of the living room grinning at each other.

Makoto spoke first, appearing torn. "It's late... Don't you need to go home?"

"Not exactly..." Vivian's lips pursed again in thought, considering Makoto's eyes as they darted from her to the TV and back again. "You want to watch it again?l

Makito clasped her hands in front of her, "I'll rewind it!"


	4. Calm Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hawaii was a trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if chapters take forever its cause i havent finished playing the game

Vivian and Ryuji were talking in the foyer of the hotel about what to do next. Well, Ryuji was talking and Vivian was half listening. They hadn't come up with any good suggestions so far, and she was getting bored. 

That was when Ann wondered towards them, bag in hand. "What you guys doing?"

Ryuji scratched the back of his head, letting out a defeated huff of air, "Tryna figure out where to go. It's our last day- we should be celebratin'."

Ann nodded enthusiastically, "I can't believe we've been here for three days- that went by in like no time at all."

"I know! And it wasn't any different than home- we ate at Big Bang Burger yesterday- this whole trip was a bust." 

Suddenly her phone buzzed, telltale ' _Pi pi pi_ ' sound startling Vivian out of her daydreaming stupor.

"Is that...?" Ryuji's eyes went comically wide, "From what we talked about yesterday?"

"Ryuji!" Ann lifted a hand to wack him upside the head, "She doesn't have to tell us anything!"

Vivian grinned, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose as she took the phone out of her pocket. "I'll go check this somewhere private."

"Ahhh, I see smooth goin' with the ladies huh?- _OUCH!_ " Ryuji shut up mid sentence when Ann wacked him again, stopping to glare at the girl.

"I'll see you guys later." Vivian grinned at them both, and got nods in reply before walking away back to her room.

Finally bringing the IM up, Vivian grinned hugely when she saw the ID picture. That funny nervous feeling smouldering away in her stomach, she opened the message and read over it.

**M** : I wanted to talk to you about something... if you have a spare moment, I'm down at the beach.

Vivian's chest swelled, suddenly abundant with energy and excitement. What could Makoto want to talk about? It made her feel fuzzy when she thought about the fact that Makoto hadn't had one moment to herself all trip, but at the first opportunity she asked her to hang out.

Even if it was just as friends, it made Vivian feel like she could do anything.

So she got changed into her swimsuit, and tugged on some shorts over the top, grabbing her hat and one of Ann's sunscreens (She'd brought almost 15 tubes of different sunscreens and lotions with her. The poor girl would burn into to a crisp without them), and locked the door behind her.

Makoto grinned down at her phone for a second, her heart had been in her throat for some reason as she'd sent Vivian the message. She'd probably typed and retyped the same text about eight times before she decided to go back to the original message. Why was she so nervous?

"There you are!" Across the busy beach-square, Vivian stood waving wildly at her. She really stood out, her above average height making her tower over the other Japanese students around.

Makoto waved back shyly, biting her lip and glancing around to make sure no one could see.

Using her bag as a battering-ram, Vivian pushed her way through the crowd to the bench where Makoto sat, sitting down next to her with a satisfied huff.

"Hello." Makoto giggled into her palm, eyeing the flush on Vivian's cheeks, "Thank you for coming to hang out with me."

"It's my pleasure, really. Ryuji and Ann were standing around talking about how bored they were," Vivian shrugged, then looked across at her over her glasses, "Plus, I love hanging out with you."

Now it was Makoto's turn to blush, ducking her head and brushing a wisp of hair behind her ear. "Me too- with you. I mean- hanging out with you- I like- _ahem_ , stop laughing at me!"

"Aren't you just too cute?" Vivian threw her head back laughing, and once again Makoto was somehow captivated by how freely she showed her emotions, and how easy it was for the other girl to laugh and smile. She just seemed... untethered, unburdened. Why?

"So," Makoto interrupted firmly, "I wanted to relax now that I have a moment of peace."

Vivian slowly sobered up, "I imagine it's been tough."

"Yes. Being a student chaperone isn't what they made it sound like, I've been in meeting after meeting since we got here."

"You've been doing a great job!" Vivian announced, facing towards her.

"Thanks- I hope so."

"And now that you're free, you're going to have fun. Because this is a holiday and somehow you're still stressed."

Makoto tugged on her hair again, managing to look sheepish this time. "I am aren't I?"

"Yeah, it's gotta stop-" Vivian suddenly jumped up from the bench, pointing madly at a kiosk across the way. "Let's go."

Reaching down, Vivian grabbed Makoto's hand (taking a second to marvel at the softness of her palm, and the way her slender fingers twined with her own) and pulled her to stand. "Now, all relaxed afternoons start with food."

The man at the shrimp stand was extremely friendly, and spoke Japanese to the pair of them to make them more comfortable. Makoto took a second to also thank him for the extra food in English as well, before they wandered off down the beach with their food.

As the sun was starting to go down, the beach began to clear up. People escaping from the heat to air-conditioned hotel rooms, or hurrying to get in the line at the buffets for dinner. Whatever the reason, Vivian was glad for it as they found another bench not five feet away from the shore. Unobstructed and private, this section of the beach felt like it was a moment frozen in time just for them.

They ate in comfortable silence, sometimes pointing out things they saw in the sand, or shells in the clear water. By the time they were finished with their food, the sky was awash with orange and yellow, the colours crisp and beautiful.

"I actually... got you something." Makoto said suddenly, digging around in her bag before pulling out a small embroidered pouch.

Vivian was both pleased and confused as she pulled on the the little draw string, and poured the contents into her lap.

It was a little Tiki charm. Hand carved and painted, about the size of her thumb. It looked like it could go anywhere, necklace, keyring, bracelet. But the other part fell out of the bag too, a long silver chain, a necklace for the charm to go on.

"Makoto it's... _thank you._ " No one had ever given her something so nice, just because they could, because they were thinking of her. She was suddenly immensely touched, and her heart felt full. Like she couldn't find anymore room.

But it wasn't a bad feeling, in fact it made the smouldering in her stomach lessen because, somehow she recognised her feelings now.

Suddenly she laughed under breath, threading the charm onto the the chain as she went. "You know, it's funny. I got you something too."

"You did?" Makoto gasped, as if the thought of getting something in return had never occurred to her.

"We'll it's two things. They go together." She dug around in her bag after clipping the necklace with the charm around her neck.

Makoto was still a bit shocked, unwrapping the tissue-paper and taking a peak inside. It was a note book, handmade leather and paper bound together with thread. Clipped to the side was a pencil with painted designs on it, a matching set.

"I... it's beautiful." Even though she'd just given a gift herself, Makoto was indescribably touched at the gesture, suddenly understanding why Vivian had reacted the way she did.

And the pair of them sat in the warmth of the sun, the calming push and pull sound of the ocean engulfing them, encasing them in a bubble of warmth and comfort and safety. Knowing that no matter what happened, they would always be close, and they would always be there for whatever the other needed.


End file.
